Question

Briefly explain the contribution of the woman's ovum and the man's sperm in determining the sex of the offspring.

What are some of the things that countries other than the U.S. provide to decrease their infant mortality rate?

Answer 1

Ans 1. All of the gametes in the mother's eggs possess X chromosomes. The father's sperm contains about half X and half Y chromosomes. The sperm are the variable factor in determining the sex of the baby. If the sperm carries an X chromosome, it will combine with the egg's X chromosome to form a female zygote.

Humans have an additional pair of sex chromosomes for a total of 46 chromosomes. The sex chromosomes are referred to as X and Y, and their combination determines a person's sex. Typically, human females have two X chromosomes while males possess an XY pairing. This XY sex-determination system is found in most mammals as well as some reptiles and plants.

Whether a person has XX or XY chromosomes is determined when a sperm fertilizes an egg. Unlike the body's other cells, the cells in the egg and sperm — called gametes or sex cells — possess only one chromosome. Gametes are produced by meiosis cell division, which results in the divided cells having half the number of chromosomes as the parent, or progenitor, cells. In the case of humans, this means that parent cells have two chromosomes and gametes have one.

All of the gametes in the mother's eggs possess X chromosomes. The father's sperm contains about half X and half Y chromosomes. The sperm are the variable factor in determining the sex of the baby. If the sperm carries an X chromosome, it will combine with the egg's X chromosome to form a female zygote. If the sperm carries a Y chromosome, it will result in a male.

There are some variations, though. Recent research has found that a person can have a variety of different combinations of sex chromosomes and genes, particularly those who identify as LGBT.

A few births out of a thousand of babies are born with a single sex chromosome (45X or 45Y) and are referred to as sex monosomies. Others are born with three or more sex chromosomes (47XXX, 47XYY or 47XXY, etc.) and are called sex polysomies. "In addition, some males are born 46XX due to the translocation of a tiny section of the sex determining region of the Y chromosome," said WHO. "Similarly some females are also born 46XY due to mutations in the Y chromosome. Clearly, there are not only females who are XX and males who are XY, but rather, there is a range of chromosome complements, hormone balances, and phenotypic variations that determine sex."

It is important to remember that sex and gender have two separate definitions and many cultures include more labels than simply "male" and "female" to identify others.

Ans 2.  Infant mortality rates around the world have dramatically decreased over the past decades, data shows the U.S. isn’t keeping pace, particularly with other highly-developed nations around the world. That means that most developed countries in the world are surpassing the U.S. in lowering the infant death rate more quickly than our own.

The infant mortality rate in most developed countries in such as Japan, Iceland, Sweden, Austria, South Korea, Italy, France, Sweden, among several others — tended to hover at around 2 to 3.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, or approximately two to three times less than the U.S. rate.

Preventing Birth Defects :-

Birth defects are currently the leading cause of infant mortality in the United States.There are many different kinds of birth defects, and they can happen in any pregnancy.

There are several things pregnant women can do to help reduce the risk of certain birth defects, such as getting enough folic acid before and during pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects. Learn more about some risk factors for birth defects. finding ways to stop preterm labor from progressing to a preterm delivery and identifying ways to improve health outcomes for infants who are born preterm. Preterm infants commonly have a low birth weight, but sometimes full-term infants are also born underweight. Causes can include a mother’s chronic health condition or poor nutrition. Adequate prenatal care is essential to ensuring that full-term infants are born at a healthy weight.

Getting Pre-Pregnancy and Prenatal Care :-

During pregnancy, the mother’s health, environment, and experiences affect how her fetus develops and the course of the pregnancy. By taking good care of her own health before and during pregnancy, a mother can reduce her baby’s risk of many of the leading causes of infant mortality in the United States, including birth defects, preterm birth, low birth weight, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and certain pregnancy complications.

Women don’t need to wait until they are pregnant to take steps to improve their health. Reaching a healthy weight, getting proper nutrition, managing chronic health conditions, and seeking help for substance use and abuse, for example, can help a woman achieve better health before she is pregnant. Her improved health, in turn, can help to reduce infant mortality risks for any babies she has in the future. Learn more about pre-pregnancy care.

Once she becomes pregnant, a mother should receive early and regular prenatal care. This type of care helps promote the best outcomes for mother and baby. Learn more about prenatal care.

Creating a Safe Infant Sleep Environment :- SIDS is one type of death within a broader category of causes of death called sudden unexpected infant death .The SUID category includes other sleep-related causes of infant death such as accidental suffocation as well as infections, vehicle collisions, and other causes.

Although there is no definite way to prevent SIDS, there are ways to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death. For example, always placing a baby on his or her back to sleep and keeping baby’s sleep area free of soft objects, toys, crib bumpers, and loose bedding are important ways to reduce a baby’s risk.

Using Newborn Screening to Detect Hidden Conditions :-

Newborn screening can detect certain conditions that are not noticeable at the time of birth, but that can cause serious disability or even death if not treated quickly. Infants with these conditions may seem perfectly healthy and frequently come from families with no previous history of a condition.

To perform this screening, health care providers take a few drops of blood from an infant’s heel and apply them to special paper. The blood spots are then analyzed. If any conditions are detected, treatment can begin immediately.